History Remembered
by shanfourteen
Summary: It's the anniversary of a certain someone's death, and it's only fitting that he's remembered.


**Hey! So, I know that it's super super super super late but I needed to get this out and not have it be an unfinished fic, especially since the-event-that-no-one-wants-to-talk-about happened was tragic. Anyway, the disclaimer: none of these characters are mine and are all rightfully Syfy's.**

 **Enjoy. :)**

The frame was scuffed and scratched but the photo inside was almost untouched, a memory etched forever into the fabric of the physical. It was much like the relationship they'd shared, unbroken but still rough around the edges.

Nathan's fingers were gentle as they picked it up off its mantle above the fireplace, his smile full. It was a conflicted sort of smile, sadness and happiness battling it out. The picture was of one of the many poker nights the three of them had shared, a candid shot of Duke in the act of lunging across the poker table to tackle Nathan out of his chair. Audrey had taken it, and it was blurry as her hands hadn't been still since uncontrollable laughter was, well, uncontrollable.

The night had begun as most poker nights had before.

"Poker on the Rouge tonight?"

Nathan's eyes flicked up to see Duke leaning on the door frame, his arms crossed and his own eyes closed. "Depends," he hedged, tapping the pen he'd been using to do paperwork against his desk. "Do you owe any people money?"

Duke rolled his eyes. "That happened one time." He shrugged. "Besides, yours and Audrey's badges are pretty fine protection."

"It happened twice, and we're not there for your protection. We're there to take your money." Nathan paused. " _Your_ money. Not a deadbeat criminal's."

The restauranteur waved his hand, his version of _whatever_. "No, to answer your question, I do _not_ currently owe anybody money. You lot'll owe me after tonight anyway."

"Doubt it." Nathan's tone was light as he shuffled the papers on his desk into one pile and placed them in the manila folder to his left. "I'll get Audrey to sign this off." He stood, grabbing his jacket off the back of his chair. "Meet you at that wreck you call a home?"

Duke punched Nathan in the shoulder. "You haven't drowned yet, have you?" He wiggled his eyes at him before escaping the station, nodding at Stan on his way out the door as the policeman offered him a friendly wave.

The three of them arrived at the Rouge at the same time, Chinese takeout in Nathan's hands and two six-packs in Duke's.

"I didn't get any for you," Duke threw over his shoulder, stepping onto the Rouge's deck and discarding the alcohol onto the table they eat, drink and play poker at.

"We didn't get any for you," Audrey countered with a shrug.

Duke just widened his eyes in a childish gesture while Nathan's grin was one of being entertained.

In the end, everything was shared, including stories each of them had yet to hear about the other. Audrey's tale of FBI academy, where she mistook one of her instructors as a receptionist. The time Duke pretended to be the long lost cousin of someone down the east coast, in order to buy something so rare he'd never laid eyes on it.

And Nathan's story, that had ended with Duke spear-tackling him out of the chair. They'd both applied to coach Little League at the tender age of 16 but it'd been Nathan who had gotten the job. Because Nathan had made sure the selectors had never gotten Duke's application. Nathan revealed this with a grimaced smile which turned into pure horror when his eyes found Duke's moving form. It was a minor slight, nothing serious. And when Duke woke up the next morning, examining the tiny bump on his head from contact with Nathan's chest, he laughed.

"You probably saved my life," Duke shouted.

"You've probably ended mine!" came the reply across the deck and Duke's smile had grown.

The two six-packs had somehow turned into more and Nathan and Audrey had slept over. (Or crashed over. The terms were interchangeable.) Their coinciding days off meant they followed Duke into the Gull for a much needed coffee or two.

Now, Nathan remembered fondly the times he'd thought as a young adult he'd never get to experience. The intimacy of a friendship moulded beyond youthful ignorance.

"Sweetheart?" Her voice was the same yet different, and even after all these months of _her,_ he still found it difficult to understand how lucky he was. He turned toward her and smiled. Paige was holding James at her hip, bobbing him up and down. "You ready to go?"

Nathan nodded, placing the photo back up on its mantel. "Can't get there after everyone else, can we?"

"Not when we're the ones who organised it," she returned lightly, manoeuvring James to her other hip.

"Of course not." Nathan placed a kiss on her forehead then James' as the three of them headed out the door.

XXX

The drive was short and sweet since Nathan's house wasn't too far from the Gull. When they pulled into the parking lot, they joined a single car. It belonged to Gloria, who was resting on the bonnet with a cigarette in her hand.

"I should quit," she called across to them.

"You say that all the time," Nathan told her with a smile.

"I mean it this time."

"You say _that_ all the time, too."

"How you been, kid?" Gloria asked, giving him a one armed hug to keep the cigarette away from him.

"Dealing," Nathan answered. "Getting there." He nodded slightly at Paige, who was cooing to James as she got him out of his car seat. "She's been more of a help than she realises. Being in her orbit, _again_ , it just feels right."

"And that it should. You two would meet each other in a universe full of Dukes." She took a drag of her cigarette before stubbing it and flicking it into the bin behind her. "And I mean that. You're all Duke but you'd still find the Audrey!Duke."

Nathan held in a snort. "Thank you, I think."

Paige joined the two of them, then, and they headed into the Gull.

XXX

The restaurant hadn't changed much since Haven had. Duke's will, which Nathan had been both equally shocked and appalled by, had decreed Nathan the new owner before Duke's body was even cold. He'd left everything to him, excluding the Rouge which had been left to his daughter, but Nathan had left everything as it was since then. _Why fix it if it's not broken_? A completely Nathan thing to say, and something Duke would have teased him endlessly about, but it was the feeling he got when he stepped into the Gull. A feeling of a home, a unity, and he knew that for as long as he had the Gull, he wouldn't change a thing.

"Nathan?" Paige's hand on his shoulder and voice in his ears brought him back. His gaze was drawn from the ocean's horizon to her face, _her_ face, and he smiled. He was lucky, he knew that, even with a permanent hole in his heart. "Everyone's starting to arrive, I thought you might like to greet them."

He nodded, taking a sip of the beer he'd helped himself to as soon as they'd gotten inside. Paige had a glass of lemonade and with their empty hands joined, they greeted their guests.

There weren't that many, just a handful of people that had been the closest to him, or who Duke had been well known to. Dwight was standing towards the back of the room, McHugh to his left. Their eyes were on their daughters until Nathan fell into Dwight's line of sight. He offered Nathan a nod and raised his beer. Nathan returned it with a nod of his own and added a slight smile, flicking his eyes to the next person. Seth still looked uncomfortable to be in the vicinity of so many people, even though throughout the last year he'd been back to Haven no less than twenty times. As soon as they locked eyes, Seth almost fell over trying to get to him.

"Oh, thank god," he said as an opening.

"Are you okay, Seth?" Nathan asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Too many people."

"You know these people, Seth, honey," Paige said. Ever since they'd met, Paige's maternal instincts had covered Seth, too.

"I-I-I know, but I know you guys better so I'm glue." Seth gave them a smile and an awkward thumbs up.

"Glue?" Nathan spluttered.

"I'm stuck to you guys all night." He gave Nathan a 'duh' look, as if everyone used the word 'glue' in that context.

"Right." Nathan couldn't believe Duke had left him with this kid.

Seth nodded. "Oh! By the way, a blonde girl was looking for you over there. I think her name starts with a V?" He pointed. "I think she's standing with Gloria."

"Thank you, Seth," Paige said and together the three of them wandered over to where Gloria was leaning against the wall, cooing at baby James in her arms. Vickie Dutton stood beside her with baby Aaron in hers. He was more a toddler now, though, but toddler Aaron just didn't stick.

"Ladies," Nathan said with a smile before looking at Vickie. "How you'd go?"

"Thanks for giving me the honour, Nathan." She handed Aaron off to Paige and dashed outside, returning a moment later with a rectangular shaped object in her hands. It was wrapped in brown paper, and there was a cord tied at the front. "I hope it's what you wanted."

"Oh stop it," Gloria said in her usual way. "It's perfect, and he's gonna love it." She sniffed a little bit. "I think he should even pay you for it."

Vickie rolled her eyes. "Don't worry about it, Nathan." She traded the beer in his hand for the object in hers. "Open it."

Nathan did exactly that. And it was exactly what he'd asked her to make. It was a painting of the Rouge against a sunset sky, its colours playing out through ripples on the water. There was even a silhouette of a person standing in the centre and no guesses were made as to who it was. A plaque was on the bottom of the frame. _Duke Crocker, Haven's hero._ "I feel like I need to repay you, Vickie," Nathan said, when he found his voice.

She made a sound of indignation. "Hanging it up on the wall of the Gull is enough, Nathan. Trust me."

He gave her a one armed hug. "Thank you. It's incredible."

"You're welcome." Vickie offered him a smile and gave him his beer back before turning her attention back to the baby in Paige's arms. Aaron's own reached out to her and then James' did the same for Paige.

"You making a speech?" Gloria asked after a moment of silence.

Nathan cleared his throat. "Unfortunately. Duke's probably laughing his ass off up there." He gently placed the frame against the wall as he made his way to the stage usually used for the occasional band. He took a deep breath before he began and tried to remember the things he wanted to say. "Hi, everyone. Thank you for coming, Duke probably wouldn't want you here, especially since you're all drinking for free." Laughs ensued and Gloria rolled her eyes. "I am aware that I made a speech at his funeral and you don't want to hear me ramble on about that stuff again so I'll keep it short." He raised his beer, and the rest of the room didn't take long to follow. "It's been a year since the words Haven and hope could be used in the same sentence. A whole year since our lives changed for the better, and a whole year since sacrifices were valiantly made to save us. That's what tonight's about. To remember the people who gave themselves a place in our history by giving up their futures." He paused for a millisecond to catch his breath. "But it's also a time for celebration. Duke'd be the first one to say that. To tell us all to be present, and enjoy the time we're given." Nathan held his beer a little higher up. "To Duke, to Haven, and to our future."

The room filled with the echoes of Nathan's words as he took a swig of his beer and headed off the stage. Paige met him with a kiss on the cheek and a radiant face. "I'm proud of you."

Despite the fact that they'd been together for almost a year, Nathan started to blush. "Thank you."

"Nice speech, Nathan," Seth said. He was stood beside Paige, as he'd stated he would be.

Nathan squeezed his shoulder. "Thanks buddy." He finished the rest of his beer, placed the empty bottle on the counter and gazed around the room. There were a multitude of different conversations going on and Nathan made it his mission to make sure he talked to everyone who came, even if it was just for a few minutes. Words easily flowed out of him no matter who he was talking to and as the night dwindled down and people started to head home, he found himself back in Paige's orbit. She was chatting to Gloria as if they hadn't left each other's side all night, even though he knew she had from the multiple caresses he'd felt across his back at different times of the evening.

"Had a good night?" Nathan asked the elder lady, offering her a smile.

"It's always fun remembering the kid who used to steal from your liquor cabinet." There was no bite to her words, only a returned smile.

Paige laughed. "I can only imagine."

Nathan decided, as a comfortable silence enveloped them, that now was a good time to voice something that had been at the back of his mind all night. He looked to Paige. "I'm just going to go for a quick drive, I'll be back soon."

Paige nodded. "Of course, sweetheart." She gave him another kiss on the cheek and then he made his way outside. Darkness had already fallen on Haven and the Gull but he didn't need a speck of light to find where he needed to go.

Duke's car was hidden around the far side of the Gull, its cover a little dusty since Nathan hadn't driven it for a few weeks. After he pulled it off and neatly folded it against the outside of the restaurant, he slid into the driver's side and started it up. He reminisced about the first time he'd ever gotten into a car with Duke. Duke had been fresh off getting his licence, before Nathan of course since it was the only thing Duke could do at that point to get away from Haven, and Nathan had been the number one person to brave getting in the passenger seat. They were more enemies than friends at that time but Nathan needed pointers on getting his own licence and Duke was the only person Nathan had a semi-connection with to learn from. Duke could not have been happier to help. It was even Duke's rules that had helped him pass, not that he'd ever told him that. They'd been driving around the back roads when Nathan had begun to pepper him with questions.

"What's the proper speed limit for roads like this?"

"Can you overtake safely if a car was in front of you?"

"Do you need to indicate if there's no one around?"

They'd driven around for hours with the Q and A until Duke remembered he hadn't checked the fuel gauge for a while. And then only a few seconds later, as Duke manoeuvred the car into the direction of the centre of town, Nathan's eyes almost rolled into the back of his head when the car spluttered and no longer moved. The conversation Nathan had had with the chief following this spectacular display of mature teenage action was one that Nathan would never forget. It was why there was always an extra tank of gas in the back of the Bronco.

And Nathan had taken to putting one inside Duke's car, too. On the off chance he ever decided to drive it. As he had done now. He knew exactly where he was going; he was going to remember the hearts he missed. It's why he was driving up a windy road he'd travelled before and often, but not so recently. The monument was a tiny thing compared to the nature of the two beings it represented but it'd felt right when he'd had it embedded into Haven's landscape.

It was in the middle of nowhere, on top of a hill that overlooked the beach. It'd be hard to find if you weren't looking. Nathan's fingers drummed anxiously against the steering wheel as he crested the rise and he pulled the car to a stop just before the edge of the dirt track. He jumped out and walked the few steps towards the monument, placing his hand against it.

"Evening, Parker. Crocker."

Only a few people knew this thing existed and they were all back at the Gull. Tomorrow, he'd come back with them. Gloria, Dwight, Seth, even Paige. She knew about Haven's history, their history, _her_ history. She knew and she stayed.

Nathan would never get over how _lucky_ he was that he was able to live, and live the life he was. He wished Duke was here to share it with. It was no fun having a one-sided conversation, and they always ended with a smile on Nathan's face and tears in his eyes. Nathan suspected tonight would not be any different as he clambered up on the roof of Duke's car, laid back with his hands behind his head, closed his eyes and began to talk.

 _(A/N: If you follow me, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to post two things within moments of one another. Hope you can forgive me! As always, I hope you enjoyed this and let me know if you'd like. Hopefully see you guys sooner rather than later! :))_

 _Shannon xoxo)_


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